


Spring of Courage

by FandomsMJ



Series: History No Longer Repeating [5]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, Good!Ganondorf, death is heavily mentioned, so is execution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26981071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomsMJ/pseuds/FandomsMJ
Summary: At last they had made it to the Spring of Courage, the first stop on their way to rid Ganondorf of Demise's Hatred. But things do not go as expected.
Relationships: Ganondorf & Link (Legend of Zelda), Ganondorf & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Series: History No Longer Repeating [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1364608
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thank you all for your patience with me. I know updates to this series is kind of 'once in a while'. Unfortunately I don't think this will change any time soon. Still, I do have plans for our favorite Triforce wielding trio. This series is far from over.

At last they had made it to the Spring of Courage, the first stop on their quest to break Demise's Curse. Ganondorf was no fool, he knew the risks. It was entirely possible the blessed water of the spring would kill him. That was a risk he had to take though, if he ever wanted to be free. Once the electric dragon Farosh granted them passage to the spring, he knew there was no turning back. 

"Are you certain you want to do this?" Zelda asked from where she stood on his right. Link was on his left, watching with determined sapphire eyes. Ganondorf half-expected the knight to shove him into the water if he tried to refuse. 

His golden-red eyes looked at the pool of crystal clear water, his reflection looking back at him. "If we are to protect our kingdoms and break the cycle, I have no choice." 

With that, he waded into the water. It came up to just above his knees, and it felt no different than regular water. He knelt at the feet of Hylia's statue, not really sure where to begin with his prayer. He didn't have time to figure it out as it suddenly felt as if someone had fired a shock arrow into the water. His body jerked, every nerve ending feeling as if it was on fire. He screamed, arching his back. He saw the cold eyes of the statue looking down at him, seeming to grow farther away as he fell back. He didn't register hitting his head on the ancient stone as darkness took him. 

The darkness soon gave way to a foggy realm. The sky above was a stormy grey, the 'floor' beneath his feet a shallow pool that looked more like a mirror than water. There was something vaguely familiar about this place. Something that made his head ache, a pulsing in his forehead that he knew came from the jagged scar 'birthmark' his crown hid. 

He turned, and saw a familiar figure standing with his back to him. Muted blues replaced the forest green Ganondorf had grown accustom to over his many lifetimes and a metal chest plate covered the hero's tunic. "Link?" he frowned. 

The young man turned to face him, revealing stark white hair in place of blond, softly glowing white eyes in place of sapphire blue. There were marks painted on his face like war paint - blue on his forehead, red on his cheeks. Yet his face was identical to Link's. "That is not my name." His voice was deep, and rumbled with a divine power. "I am the Fierce Deity." 

"You are the origin of the Hero's spirit," Ganondorf realized. Of course. Wisdom belonged to the descendants of Hylia, Power belonged to the spawn of Demise, it stood to reason that Courage also had a divine connection to someone other than Farore. 

He dipped his head in a single nod. "When Hylia gave up her divinity to combat Demise, I knew we could not rely on a mere mortal to have what it took to serve as her hero. Unable to leave this world without a divine protector, I was only able to send some of my spirit with her, to find a worthy vessel to protect her." Something in his stance shifted, and Ganondorf recognized the battle ready pose. "But now you have come directly to me." 

"I have no desire to fight you," Ganondorf said. "Nor do I have any desire to continue the endless wars Demise set in motion so long ago." 

"You are born of the Demon King's hatred, the only heir he has ever had, why should I believe you?" Fierce Deity snarled. "You never once hesitated to attack Hylia's daughters in the past, why would this lifetime be any different?" 

"Because this has gone on far too long. Children sent to fight on behalf of the Goddesses, a man the puppet of a long dead tyrant, it is long past time for it to end." Ganondorf knelt, fully prepared to die if that was what it took. "Because I have lived a thousand lifetimes and suffered a thousand deaths and I am _tired_. But if that is not enough, if we are doomed to failure and to repeat this cycle forever, then it may as well end here." 

"Are you truly willing to die?" Fierce Deity asked. If Ganondorf didn't know better, he'd think he'd surprised the god. 

"It would be easier to die here, by your hand, than to watch the children once again be forced to fight on the Goddesses' behalf," he replied grimly. 

"In this life they are only a few years younger than you," Fierce Deity pointed out. "And in all the lifetimes combined they are both older than you." 

"I remember my past lives, they do not. It is too easy to feel older than them." How could he consider them older? When Zelda looked at ruins and eagerly theorized about what they could have been while Ganondorf remembered the grand building that once stood in their place? When Link was temporarily caught off guard by an ancient monster Ganondorf had seen many times? When there were so many new things to them that were so old to him? When they struggled to fathom a final battle that Ganondorf had fought many times? 

"If I did not know better, I'd think you felt responsible for them," Fierce Deity commented, something softening in his tone. "Your death will be swift." 

Ganondorf didn't move, didn't look up, he just waited. It was better this way. 

* * *

_"You could die tomorrow," Zelda murmured, her ocean eyes focused on the forest below. They both knew that the Spring of Courage lay hidden there somewhere._

_Ganondorf huffed, "I have died many times Princess, and I will die again. Whether it be tomorrow or years from now makes no difference to me."_

_"It does to me," she mumbled. He looked over at her, feeling a twinge in his chest at the sight of tears glistening in the moonlight. She refused to look at him, keeping her gaze focused on the forest. "I do not know what it was like in your past lives, but in this life you have people who care for you. People who will miss you."_

_"I know." It wasn't as foreign a concept to him as she might have thought. "But - and forgive me if this is cruel - I'd rather you grieve for the man I am, than fight the puppet I could become."_

_"I know," she whispered, voice trembling with emotion. Finally she moved, turning to wrap her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. He sat there for a moment, frozen in shock, then he slowly wrapped his arms around her._

* * *

_Ganondorf could feel someone watching him as he helped pack up camp. After securing one of the saddlebags he looked over his shoulder, "What?"_

_Link tilted his head to the side in question and Ganondorf rolled his eyes, "Don't give me that Hero, I could feel you watching me."_

_When the knight said nothing, he turned back to making sure everything was secure. "Zelda and I only know this life... the Goddesses have seen your past lives," Link said quietly._

_"And?" Ganondorf glanced back at him._

_Link only gave him a look. One that clearly said 'I know you know what I'm talking about'._

_He sighed, "I know. They will judge me thoroughly. They may even kill me. It will be as they desire, none of us can stop it."_

_"I wouldn't dream of trying," Link replied. Yet there was something in his eyes and a tension in his shoulders. Like when he was saying what he thought someone wanted to hear while thinking something else entirely._

_Ganondorf turned to face him. "I mean it Link. Leave fighting the divine to the demons."_

_"Like you." Okay, that caught him off guard. It was the first time the Hero actually teased him._

_And it would probably be the last._

* * *

He woke up. He wasn't supposed to wake up. Hadn't the Fierce Deity executed him? He groaned and shut his eyes against the throbbing pain in his head. Oh... was his head even still attached? 

"Ganondorf!" Zelda's panicked cry and the splashing of water informed him that he was not alone. He forced his eyes open again, staring up at the stone ceiling of the spring. Zelda came into view, falling to her knees beside him. Link wasn't far behind her, face unreadable. "Ganondorf, are you..." 

"Head hurts," he mumbled, not having the strength to hide his pain. As it was, he could barely keep his eyes open. Zelda replied, but her voice sounded so far away he couldn't make out the words. Darkness slowly stole his vision and it occurred to him that he might be dying after all. 

_You were serious about being willing to die if necessary. If you are as sincere about your intentions, I see no reason to stop you._ The Fierce Deity's voice murmured to him. _But watch your step. If I am wrong, I will have ample opportunity to fix my mistake._

Ganondorf had no reply to that as he drifted off. 


	2. Chapter 2

Link couldn't deny he felt disturbed by what he and Zelda had seen. After Ganondorf had collapsed, they'd rushed towards him. If the Goddesses saw fit to strike him down, there was nothing they could do, but that didn't stop them from rushing forward anyway. 

Just before the king woke, Link saw a shadow on the wall. Gandorf's hulking form kneeling, his head bowed. Standing over him with a strange sword that was vaguely familiar had been a silhouette that could have been Link's own shadow. The silhouettes vanished as the sword was brought down. Link didn't see how it ended, but he could guess. Needless to say, he was shocked when Ganondorf groaned and opened his eyes. 

He hadn't stayed awake long, but he had survived.

Though, Link was beginning to wonder if it was too soon to assume Ganondorf would be alright. He'd been out for several hours now, not waking once since they had pulled him from the spring and set up a small camp. The sky was currently painted with the colors of the sunset, and Link wondered if Ganondorf would still be alive when the colors of sunrise colored the sky. 

The answer to that question came only a moment later when Ganondorf groaned. Golden red eyes blinked open slowly. Link watched silently as the Gerudo King slowly sat up, looking around. Finally, those unnerving eyes landed on him. "Where are we?" Ganondorf asked, rubbing the back of his head where it had connected with the ancient tile when he fell. 

Link nodded to the entrance of the Spring of Courage still visible through the trees. They hadn't gone far. Mostly because half-carrying half-dragging Ganondorf was difficult. Seeing how close they were to the spring, the king grimaced. 

His grimace turned to a frown, "Where is the princess?" 

Again, Link nodded to the Spring of Courage. Zelda had gone back to offer prayers to the Goddess. Why, Link wasn't entirely sure. 

"And you let her go off on her own?" Ganondorf raised an eyebrow. 

"I am sure a dragon is capable of protecting her," Link replied. Farosh forbade anyone with evil intentions from entering the spring. Zelda would be safe. 

Ganondorf dipped his head in a brief nod as if to say 'good point'. 

"I saw something," Link said before he could think better of it. "After you collapsed." 

Ganondorf quirked a brow in confusion, silently prompting him to continue. 

"Shadows on the wall. You were kneeling and... it looked like my own shadow about to execute you." Link had been wary to trust the Gerudo King. He had known since the start that one day he could be standing before him with the Master Sword drawn and ready for battle. It hadn't bothered him before, it had simply been a fact. The Hero slays the villain. That was it. 

So why did the idea of killing Ganondorf disturb him now? _He knew the answer, he just didn't want to admit it to himself._

Ganondorf sighed, "The whispers of legends I've heard suggests that Hyrule believes the original trio was the first Zelda who was Hylia reborn, her closest friend Link, and the Demon King Demise. However, it seems the original trio was completely divine in origin. The silhouette you saw was the Fierce Deity, the origin of the Hero's Spirit." 

Link shifted his weight, well aware of the Master Sword pressing against his left shoulder. It was less of the pressure of his destiny and more like an attempt at comfort. If he didn't know better, he'd say the sword was alive. _Distantly, some part of him knew she was._

"He doubted my intentions," the king continued, "But after a test, he decided to let me continue on this quest." 

"You were going to let him kill you." The accusation announced Zelda's presence and Link mentally scolded himself for not noticing her approach. 

"If fate demands I should die, the divine should do it themselves." Was the bitter reply. After a moment the dark look faded from his eyes, "Besides, I was spared because of my refusal to fight." 

Zelda wanted to say more, Link could see it in how rigid her shoulders were, but she let it go. She joined them by the campfire, sitting on Ganondorf's other side. "How do you feel?" she finally asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. 

"Truthfully, save for a dull ache where I hit my head, I feel no different than I did before stepping foot in the spring," he replied. "Still, I think it would be best to continue on this quest." 

"We will," Zelda said, "But first I believe it may be best to return home. I get the sense we will be needed." 

Link frowned. Like her ancestors, Zelda had premonitions. If she said they were going to be needed back at the castle, then that is where they should go. Though he desperately wanted to know why they would be needed. Would it be another mysterious attack? Was Salkin up to something? ( _Okay, that was unfair towards the advisor, but he was a thorn in the side that Link would much rather not deal with_ ). 

"It's too late to travel safely now," Link murmured, "We'll head out first thing in the morning." 

* * *

_Glowing eyes watched the trio as they settled in for the night. Demise's Curse was strong, stronger than they could ever know. Yet the Fierce Deity wondered if, perhaps, they would be strong enough to break it. The curse would play its hand, he knew that, but it seemed with all three bearers of the Triforce united, this may be the last cycle._

_Only time would tell however._


End file.
